Blogging is not racing. There is no finish line. There is no checkered flag. However, there are a lot of cars turning the corners at breakneck speeds. We can use the idea of drafting to take our blog to the next level. What is drafting, you ask. Let’s look at the Wikipedia entry on the topic.

Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique in sports racing where competitors align in a close group in order to reduce the overall effect of drag or fluid resistance of the group in a slipstream. Especially when high speeds are involved, drafting can significantly reduce the average energy expenditure required to maintain a certain speed. [source: Wikipedia]

So when racecar drivers draft, they reduce the wind resistance of their own vehicle by following closely behind another. The wind streaks right over their hoods, giving them the momentum and power to slip past their competitors at the right moment.

I’m not suggesting bloggers are competing. Quite the opposite. If Entrecard has taught me anything, it’s that bloggers together do some interesting and fascinating things. I am suggesting we can compete only when we network and find support of other drivers.

This is nothing new, you say. We all know the pack mentality works to survive. So then why would we streak ahead of the pack? What possible motive would we have to be the first car in the race? Furthermore how can we break away from the pack to position ourselves in the lead for any niche?

Pole Position

The time trials prior to a race determine the frontrunners from the beginning. Those who lag behind often times have to fight the entire race to gain on their competitors. In the blogging world, those who began blogging years ago have a leg up on the blogs that began in 2007 or early 2008. What can the newcomers do to reduce the drag and increase their velocity?

I’ve been asking myself this very question for a while now. I’m sure many of you have read blogs discussing techniques to increase page views, RSS subscriptions, and site traffic. I’ve come up with a few questions to ask yourself about your own blog, which I’ve asked about my own, that should propel your site towards your own finish line.

1. What purpose does your blog serve? - This question may seem like an easy answer, but when I asked myself this question a few weeks ago I had to step back to think. I want a site that’s helpful, honest, and committed to writing and to marketing. I also want a site that caters to bloggers and to their views and ideas. My purpose is to inspire those reading to create, to write, and to gain excitement about their chosen niche.
2. Does the blog meet my expectations? - I ask myself this before I start writing about whatever comes to mind. It helps me focus on what needs filling in on the site. I have a lot of content, but I see it like building a foundation brick by brick. Each new article represents a piece of the foundation. If I’m writing content that veers from my site’s message then I’m creating a faulty foundation. I need to go back to question one and recalculate.
3. How can I keep the blog on target or mold it into what I need? - I can keep my own blog on target by mapping out the course. I know the turns and conditions I have to face before I ever put rubber to road. If I know what’s coming, then I know where to turn. I become more organized and stay focused.

I know for certain no finish line exists, only our personal one. We have pit stops and some cars drop out of the race, but we always keep moving. 

Alexa, Technorati, Exactrank, and other sites will tell you the popular blogs — the frontrunners. If we fixate on the numbers, and forget to look for the opportunity to spring ahead, then we may be just running out of gas waiting for the next pit stop to catch our breath and reconsider it all.

How do I draft?

I draft in the blogosphere all the time. I join networks like Entrecard, forums like Bloggeries, subscribe to RSS feeds of fellow bloggers, read content on popular blogs, write content that’s helpful to others, and guest post on other site’s in my niche.

Through blogging, we sometimes might rub other bloggers the wrong way. But, we all know rubbin ’s racin. The important thing is to stay in the race.

Do you draft with your blog?